There’s been a flurry of new articles recently on the “because noun” construction, many of which quote a post I made over a year ago. I have some new thoughts since then, including a different hypothe...

For some autistic young people online interactions provide a form of social contact that is more manageable than many physical settings.

In-person emagazine Conference for advanced level students. 

Readers of this blog will know that from antiquity onwards, philosophers, rhetoricians and cognitive scientists have examined the use and abuse of metaphors. More recently, they have also begun to …

If we want to figure out the proper way to control A.I. models, we need to recognize what they really are.

Algorithms began as simple mathematical procedures, but today they shape what we see, buy and believe.

Six more Welsh English words and phrases have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

In the early 2000s, during the dramatic but now almost forgotten outbreak of foot and mouth disease in cattle, I wrote about war metaphors and the issue of projecting control over an ‘out of …

The year’s most popular slang reveals what young people think about artificial intelligence – and it’s not positive

Why do we love the mountweazel (and what is it)? Who was the original twerp? How did timeline constitute a two-for-one bargain? Join editors Fiona McPherson and Craig Leyland as they dive into some of...

The extreme right has learned to navigate Germany’s strict laws on extremist symbols

When I moved to York I thought everyone sounded like a cross between Sean Bean and Mel B. But now the north’s linguistic richness really is being flattened, says author Zahaan Bharmal

Rob Drummond talks to Michael about the ways people talk in Manchester.

I've had some pretty special rejections over the years, but this one, received at 16:51 on a Friday (today) has shot to the top of my all time Hall of Fame. For context, Georgina Brown and I put a pro...

At the beginning of the week (14 September 2026), I woke up to a collision of two AI discourses, one where President Donald Trump wants to win the AI race and another where Dario Amodei, the head o…

Static definitions of “rizz,” “goblin mode” and “beige flag” don’t easily explain the words’ meanings. But we could use reference formats that do.

New research charts how preferences have changed over the past 45 years, and where they stand now.

In-person <em>emagazine</em> Conference for advanced level students.&nbsp;<strong>ON SALE 10AM WEDNESDAY 7TH OCTOBER. SEE BOOKING DETAILS FOR HOW TO BOOK.</strong>

Welcome to episode 81 of Lexis, a special student takeover edition which features Freya and Miles from Eltham Hill School in South London in conversation with Dr Jessica Aiston, postdoctoral research ...

Not even experts can agree on what the term means.

New study suggests ancient campfires may have encouraged our ancestors to develop language.

Words from internet slang, artificial intelligence developments, sustainability, global cuisine and health were among the new entries.

The comments were made in the band's new documentary 'Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger'.

Michael Rosen talks to phonetician Jane Setter about women's voices.

Join us in person to explore fresh ideas, share perspectives and join the conversation about the future of English education!